The stripping blades proper that form part of the front part of a timber harvester are not able to strip branches over the length of a harvester's own frame. The frame structure of the machine and the feeding devices strip part of the branches that remain in this length. However, when using a timber harvester it is usually attempted to grip the tree in the felling stage from the side with least branches. Thus, there are often branches to be stripped on the opposite side. A rear stripping blade for this purpose is often installed on timber harvesters.
A timber harvester, in which rear blades are used, in accordance with the type referred to is known under type reference Kockums Industri GSA 62. Two rear blades are jointed directly to the frame, between the feed rollers and the saw. In this device, the rear stripping blades are exactly the same as the front stripping blades. Rear stripping blades are exactly the same as the front stripping blades. Rear stripping blades constructed in this way work well, but the length of the machine increases greatly as a result.